Commitment to the youth competition
The ceremony at Anthony Nesty Stadium celebrated a competition nearing its 60th anniversary and brought renewed appeals for cooperation in youth development. Officials from Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana emphasized both its diplomatic value and the opportunities it gives student-athletes to compete and represent their territories.
The 2026 event brings together Under-18 teams from the three territories and is scheduled for October 22-26, according to 592Hub's event page, which cites Suriname's Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport. Ninvalle, Suriname's Director of Sport Enrique Ralim and French Guiana's Tatiana Tisserand signed the official protocol agreement in Paramaribo to finalize arrangements.
Ninvalle recalled Guyana's role in establishing the Games and thanked officials in the other two territories for helping keep the competition going. He said its purpose extends beyond diplomatic goodwill: it helps young athletes develop, form friendships and build sporting ties across borders.
Guyana's government wants to preserve the competition and supports adding disciplines so that more young athletes can participate, Ninvalle said. He is accompanied in Suriname by Cristy Campbell, vice chair of the National Sports Commission.
Eight sports on the 2026 program
Boxing and judo make their Inter-Guiana Games debuts this year, joining athletics, swimming, basketball, futsal, volleyball and chess. Under the rules described by 592Hub, each host can introduce up to two sports. Suriname selected the two additions for 2026, with boxing limited to Guyana and Suriname, while Suriname and French Guiana compete in judo.
The event began with football between Guyana and Suriname in 1967; basketball joined the program in 1972. Its sporting lineup has varied over the years. Guyana hosted nine disciplines at the 51st edition on November 25-27, 2022, when the Games returned after a five-year gap, according to the Department of Public Information as cited by 592Hub.
For Ninvalle, the growth of the competition reflects what the territories can accomplish together despite constraints in infrastructure, resources and sports development. He described the Games as a way to share knowledge, develop athletes and give young competitors experience of international-style competition.
Suriname defends the overall title
The host enters the 2026 Games as defending overall champion, having finished ahead of Guyana and French Guiana at the previous edition in Georgetown, according to 592Hub.
That competition, the 54th Inter-Guiana Games, took place in December 2025. Guyana won the athletics discipline with 442 points, while French Guiana scored 300 and Suriname 213, Guyana Times reported.
A proposal for wider Caribbean competition
Ninvalle said he and Ralim have been discussing how to develop the proposed CARICOM Games, drawing on cooperation built through the Inter-Guiana event. He said a broader competition could allow student-athletes to face opponents from beyond the three Guianas.
He linked the timing of those discussions to French Guiana's admission as CARICOM's eighth associate member in July 2026, saying it offered further encouragement for closer sporting integration.
CARICOM dates to the 1973 signing of the Treaty of Chaguaramas by its four founding independent members: Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago. Suriname became its 14th member state on July 4, 1995, according to Kaieteur News.
In an October 4, 2026, report, Kaieteur News detailed discussions between Ninvalle and Ralim about giving sport a larger role in commemorating CARICOM Day and the annual Conference of Heads of Government. They explored adding disciplines alongside the annual CARICOM 10K Road Race.
The officials will work toward a formal proposal for their respective governments before taking it to CARICOM, the report said.
